Gordon: Senate powers not open to compromise

PRO-ADMINISTRATION Sen. Richard Gordon yesterday defended the decision of the Senate to reject a Supreme Court compromise formula on acting Higher Education chair Romulo Neri.

"This case is of primordial importance to us because it revolves around our independence as a co-equal branch of government. The Senate feels the threat of an intrusion into its constitutional duties of legislation and oversight," said Gordon, a lawyer.

Gordon said the Senate would oppose any proposal from any quarter, including the Supreme Court, that would diminish its prerogatives.

The SC tried to broker a "win-win" solution after eight hours of oral arguments last Tuesday on the plea for a temporary restraining order filed by Neri, a former planning secretary.

Gordon said the decision to reject the compromise formula was not based on a consensus as claimed by Senate President Manny Villar.

But Villar insisted the decision to reject the Supreme Court’s formula was backed by consensus.

Villar said the senators did not want to set a precedent that could later be used by Executive branch officials to avoid answering the senators’ questions.

Sen. Mar Roxas said Villar has put the Senate on a direct collision with the high court for spearheading the rejection of the compromise formula.

He called on his colleagues to reconsider the decision, saying the compromise formula

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye virtually accused Villar of giving more importance to his personal ambitions than on statesmanship and the general’s public’s interest by rejecting the compromise proposal.

Chief Justice Reynato Puno earlier suggested that the Senate inquiry proceed with its investigations on the cancelled national broadband network project with China’s ZTE Corp., including the questioning of Neri as the high court deliberates on the three questions that the Senate insists on asking which Neri will not answer by invoking executive privilege.

The questions are: Did the President follow up the NBN-ZTE project with Neri?; Was Neri dictated by the President to prioritize the NBN-ZTE project? Did the President tell Neri to go ahead with the project after being told of the alleged bribe offer? – Dennis Gadil and Jocelyn Montemayor